‘Man Utd are the biggest team – my son turned down Arsenal and Liverpool for them’
Radamel Falcao was given a choice when he finally decided to sign for Manchester United.
Radamel Falcao failed at Manchester United (Image: GETTY)
Radamel Falcao rejected Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City in order to sign for Manchester United. It was in 2014 that the striker became the last big name to sign for the Red Devils, and it was a decision he made on deadline day.
According to the Colombian’s father, Falcao considered United the most important club in England and was prepared to turn down offers from their biggest rivals in order to move to the Theater of Dreams.
The striker first appeared on the world stage with Porto before becoming regarded as one of the most powerful strikers in Europe. A record 70 goals in 91 games in Spain helped Falcao lead Diego Simeone’s side to back-to-back Europa League titles in 2011 and 2012.
After scoring 34 goals in his second and final season at Madrid, he signed for Monaco for a fee of £50 million, but suffered a serious knee injury six months into his career in the principality.
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Upon his return from injury the following summer, a loan move to United was triggered, giving United the option to make the transfer permanent for a fee of £43.5 million. United, then managed by Louis van Gaal, reportedly beat several of their domestic rivals with the signing of Falcao.
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Radamel Garcia, Falcao’s father and a former footballer who represented Colombia and played in the 1980 Summer Olympics, listed the clubs his son rejected to join United. “Manchester United is the most important team in England and one of the most financially powerful,” he told Colombian radio.
“Juventus, Manchester City, Liverpool also approached him as well as Arsenal at the last minute. Luckily he ended up at Manchester United, a great team that he has to lead forward.”
Days before Falcao signed a deal with Old Trafford, he sparked rumors of a move across town to Real Madrid after posting on social media: ‘Hala Madrid’. The apparent desire to move to the Santiago Bernabeu collapsed when his father revealed why.
He explained: “There is nothing that happened with Real Madrid, because if you have money and you go to the shops to buy a jersey or a pair of pants, you have to decide whether you buy it or not. So Real Madrid chose not to do it and you can’t do anything about it. Other than that, I don’t know, I have the feeling that they wanted the player to give himself as a gift with a number of conditions and things like that.
“It didn’t happen because, as I said, they decided to buy the pants and shirt they wanted, and they thought about what was best for them, and you have to accept that because they are the ones paying the money. Thank God it all happened with Manchester United.”
Despite the reputation he built in Spain and France, “El Tigre” never really succeeded in England. In his only season at Old Trafford, he scored just four goals in 29 games in all competitions.
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Returning to parent club Monaco, he was then sent back on loan to the Premier League, this time to Chelsea. However, Falcao’s fortunes in England’s top flight did not improve, as he scored just one goal in 12 games before a serious thigh injury ended his season prematurely.
A permanent move to Galatasaray for Falcao was landed in 2019, and he spent two years in Türkiye before returning to Spain with Rayo Vallecano. After three years back in La Liga, Falcao returned to Colombia to play for Millonarios and continues to represent the club.